


The routine

by Justasmalltownfangirl



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, First Meetings, M/M, Phanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 08:51:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4954072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justasmalltownfangirl/pseuds/Justasmalltownfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan had a routine. And for years now the routine had included the man that was the best part of his day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The routine

Dan had a routine. He had several really, he had routines for everything. He had routines for work, for cooking, for cleaning, for dressing, hell, he had routines for his daily telly watching.

He wouldn't say he was bound by them though, he wasn't stuck. Change never made him nervous, deviating from the routines wasn't the end of the world for him. It wasn't that he found safety and security in them, like he couldn't deal with life any other way. No, he just liked them. He had no need to go on constant adventures, he didn't want to do things differently all the time, he didn't get bored. He was content with his life. Some peopler just don't have that kind of personality, some people just like routines.

There was nothing bad about them, they were a functioning system, so why should he change them? He was just used to them, that's all. The routines were sort of a routine, if you will.

The routine included going into Mark's and Spencer's on the way from the tube station to the flat after work. It included getting a Kinder egg there and putting it in the left pocket of the jacket. It included hanging said jacket on the hook furthest to the left before taking off the shoes. It included eating the Kinder egg bought at Mark's and Spencer's while browsing the Internet for exactly half an hour. It included then cooking food, eating the food and taking a quick walk around the block. It included spending another thirty minutes on the laptop and then watching television until twelve. Then showering, changing, brushing teeth, reading eighty pages – no more, no less – of the current book and going to sleep.

There were exceptions, of course. Every Monday he went grocery shopping and every Friday he spoke with his mother on the phone during lunch – he had a routine for that too, saying hello, asking her how she was, telling her how he was, asking her about her week, telling her about his week, asking her if she would do anything fun during the weekend, telling her that he wouldn't do anything fun during the weekend, lying and saying that he missed her, promising to come visit, then saying goodbye – while he microwaved what he would eat.

But overall, the routine stayed the same. And it wasn't bad, because Dan liked the routine. And for months now, the routine had included the man that was the best part of his day.

Every morning, Dan was on the same tube. The routine didn't include what place to sit or stand in – it was London for Christ's sake, it was always stuffed with people – but it did include what carriage he would travel to work in. It was always the same one, even when it was the most full and the one beside it was close to empty. The carriage was the only part of the routine that was actually important, because in that carriage was always that man.

That man was a bit shorter than Dan, but similarly built. He was roughly around his age, maybe a few years older – Dan wasn't really good at guessing ages – and he had the same haircut, except his fringe went the other way and his hair was black while Dan's was dark brown. He wasn't particularly 'hot' or 'sexy', not in the usual way. He wasn't fit and though there was nothing wrong with his features, they didn't go very well with each other. But if you looked for long enough – and Dan did – then you could see that there was something about him. He wasn't beautiful, God no, not even cute. But you could drown in those blue eyes. Well, Dan certainly could.

There hadn't been anything special about him at first, he had just been another face in the crowd. Dan hadn't noticed him, he rarely noticed people. If he were to be completely honest he _never_ noticed people. Why would he, when he would never talk to them anyway? Because he didn't want to talk to them, he was fine on his own, he liked being alone. His routine didn't include talking to anyone but his mother, and the occasional awkward chats with coworkers. But one day he had spotted that guy on the tube, and he had realized that he had been there the day before too. And ever since then he had always been there, in that exact carriage, every day. And every day he had gotten off at the same station, the same station as Dan.

This man always walked through the doors a little before Dan, he was always a bit ahead of him. As they walked through the platform, he was ahead. As they went up the escalator, he was ahead. As they walked down the street, he was ahead. They always went the same direction, they always walked in the same pace as each other. Sometimes there were other people between them, sometimes Dan was further behind than other times, and sometimes he couldn't see him at all. But he was always there, and he always took the same turn when Dan continued on the same street.

Sometimes he would stop and look after him. Sometimes he would wonder if he should go after him down that street instead, change the routine, be late for work. Sometimes he would think he could just ask him something instead, just open his mouth and say anything, absolutely anything. Hi or hello or how are you or nice weather today, just anything.

But he never did. Because maybe his voice was too high pitched, or maybe he was really grumpy, or maybe Dan just wouldn't like him. Dan didn't often like people. Okay, he never liked people. Apart from that man. Because he couldn't really dislike him if he had never said or done anything, but the moment he did then the risk was there. Dan liked to like that man, he didn't want to learn that he had a stupid accent or used a word too much or watched the wrong shows. 

So every time the man turned left and walked down that street, Dan continued walking the same one. That was the routine, and the routine was good.

But one day the routine changed. Dan didn't know why, maybe he just got stuck behind some people, but suddenly he was the first one out the carriage, he was the first one to walk along the platform, he was the first one up the escalator. He felt that it was wrong. He didn't know why it was wrong, but it was. He turned around and saw the man just a few steps behind him, but he wasn't supposed to be there. He was supposed to be ahead. Dan couldn't slow down, there were too many people and he was too far behind. He couldn't get down and tie his shoelaces, he didn't have any.

Uneasy he continued walking, continued walking even though the man was behind him when he was supposed to be in front of him. He felt like panicking. He never panicked when the routine changed, he wasn't like that. The routines weren't everything, they weren't that important. They were just good and that was it. But this part. This part of the routine was important.

But suddenly, someone clashed into him while jogging past.

”Sorry”, the man said. ”But I couldn't let you win.”

Dan stared at him as he took his place ahead of him and everything was good and the world was alright again. That was how it was supposed to be. 

The man turned around and smiled at him. Not even Dan could possibly dislike someone who had a smile like that. He decided, he made up his mind. The next day, he would talk. He would open his mouth and whatever he wanted to say would come out.

The man turned turned left. Dan didn't look after him. He smiled to himself.

The routine was good, but that didn't mean something else couldn't be better.

 


End file.
